Hunter
by Songbird of the End
Summary: He waited patiently, as the moon rose higher, for his prey to walk unknowingly into his trap. Twisted WW


(-sitting in the dark with a lone candle sitting on top of a cupcake-) Happy Birthday to me... Happy Birthday to me... Happy Birthday to me-ee... Happy Birthday to me...

(-turns to readers-) Well, alright, yesterday was my birthday, but this is getting uploaded half past midnight. So there.

Just wrote this for fun and to prove Wind Waker isn't really so cartoony. Or was it to show how messed up I am? I don't remember anymore and it's late so shut up.

I hope you enjoy semi-insane!Link. For your sake. I think. Shut up I'm going to bed.

* * *

The town was empty. Seeing how this was the most populated island on the Great Sea, it would normally be cause for alarm for visiting sailors and their designated postman. Such an odd event would also make its way across the sea via whoever stumbled upon Windfall Island in its current state and eventually reach the ears of a small boy in green. Said boy would immediately set course for the unusually deserted isle and attack the mystery head on.

But it was nighttime. Since it's only natural for most people to stay indoors when the stars are out, there's no need to go and search out would-be heroes to fix anything. Although, admittedly, you wouldn't have to look for long; he was already on the island.

Link padded quickly through the moonlit town, worn boots effectively minimizing any sound caused by his footfalls. It didn't really matter, though, since no one was outside and he was doing nothing illegal. The former wasn't entirely true—Anton was moon-watching and _she_ should be on the other side of the island by now, but either way they weren't even within seeing range of him. The first, he didn't care so much about being seen, but the second absolutely must not see him.

But again, she was on the other half of the island, so Link had no qualms about running in the moonlight. The waning crescent moon peered down at him as he ran past Zunari's stall. In the daylight hours, it was a lively, cheery store with many statuettes of different colors and sizes lining the back shelf. But now, in the shadows of the Café, it looked lonely and barren, even with the colorful Big Sale Flags sitting in front of the larger counter.

Link spared the stall a glance as he sprinted by, then turned his back to it and the roughhousing that could be heard from the café. He ghosted up the steps leading to what could be called the town square, where the Bumblebee gang liked to hang out, before making a U-turn and hugging the brick wall of the town's lighthouse/Ferris wheel. The boy walked along the thin strip of land around the building until the wall dipped back into a more respectable ledge.

The young boy grinned, a hardly visible gesture, and crouched down in front of the ladder. From here, he had a perfect spot to keep an eye on Zunari's stall and the café it was built under, as well as the small opening in the town's wall that lead to a little known dock. He reached behind him to a small pack he hid under his shield for smaller, very important items. Glancing one last time at his immediate surroundings, he pulled out his constant sailing companion.

It was an iron half circle, crafted Nayru knows how long ago, about as thick as his hand and fit perfectly between his. There were several notches around the arc, and part of a diamond engraving could be seen at what would be the circle's center. There was another small length of iron attached on one end to the center mark that had a diamond with bowed sides carved into the other end. An unseen mechanism was slowly moving the beam from the leftmost side to the right end of the arc.

The King of Red Lions had called it a clock when he gave it to Link and explained that it was a way to measure time. When the hand reaches the right end and stops, it would be either sunrise or sunset, and the preteen had instructions to then wind the arm back to the left side of the half disk and it would repeat the process over again. It was the only way to tell time at sea during the night, since he hadn't stared at the night sky all his life to use the stars and everyone knew the moon didn't rise and set like the sun.

Link had tested out the device and proved it works, but he was curious as to where the boat had gotten it. He hadn't seen any other clocks on his travels across the Great Sea. He asked the King of Red Lions about it once, but all he got in return was the figurehead's mutterings about alternate worlds and falling moons. Link decided not to press the issue.

The boy squinted at the probably-ancient timepiece, trying to make out the position of the arm in the shadow of the building. After repositioning it several times in an attempt to catch the nonexistent moonlight, Link gave up and carefully felt the metallic surface, following the hand with his fingers and counting the grooves on its left side. It added up to four, almost five, meaning it was nearing midnight. He grinned again.

Settling himself into an easy crouch, Link readied himself for a long period of waiting. According to his prowls for the last few nights, _she_ would reach the stall around half past twelve. Sloppy, he had noted to himself—a true, seasoned thief would never be so predictable as to strike the same place at the same time each night—but it made things easier for him. Much, much easier.

Honestly, Link had known of a certain blonde's late night habits for a while now. He had found himself amused, despite himself, and had taken to stalking—ahem, working on his stealth skills by following her each night. It was almost like a simple game: follow her around town without making a sound. Double points if he can pass a noise off as the wind or a cat or something. If she spots him, instant Game Over. The next day, he'd take dark amusement in how jittery and high-strung the girl was from their (oh so very) near close encounters.

And then he spoke to Zunari.

Well, spoke isn't quite the word for it. More like Link noticed how haggard the shopkeeper looked, inquired as to its cause, and then lent a friendly ear to let the man get what was troubling him off his chest. After hearing how he knew someone was fiddling with his safe at night, Link decided it was time for him to step in.

Nobody messes with who he considers to be friends and gets away with it. No sir.

And so here he was, perched on a sheltered outcropping in the middle of the night setting a trap for the almost-thief. He rocked back on his heels and peeked up at the tiny sliver left of the moon; tomorrow night would probably be a new moon. Visibility would be at its absolute lowest, which would make sailing even more dangerous than it currently is. Looks like he'll get to catch up on some sleep after all. King of Red Lions probably won't be too happy about spending another night on the island, but he'll understand. Maybe. For a boat, the King sure was a slave driver…

Link's ear twitched. He slightly turned his head to the side, focusing for the hushed pitter patter of footsteps. A human shaped shadow appeared at the edge of his vision and headed towards the stall. His body stayed completely still as the girl (for he knew who she was, and just to add insult to injury, he knew who she used to be) entered the stall, and a grin slowly spread across his face when he could hear her panicked breaths in the quiet of the night.

How sloppy.

His heart sped up with the familiar thrill of the hunt. Silently, he flexed his legs to ease any cramps that had decided to form while he waited and leapt off the ledge. He may have thought the Hero's Clothes were too warm for this time of year, but Link now knew they were perfect for anything stealth based when it was dark enough. He landed softly on the ground, boots smothering any noise he could have made, and ghosted over to the stall entrance.

Pressing himself against the worn wood, he listened to her _his prey's_ breathing continue at the same pace. Link loved sneaking around just out of sight, how it made him feel like a _predator speeding across the surface towards _hunter laying a trap for his unsuspecting prey. Like one of the Seahats on the Great Sea, knowing the mere sight of you can have others screaming for their mommies.

Link vaulted over the counter and landed lightly on the other side, already fishing in his pack for his grappling hook. His prey was just starting to turn around (she gave up trying to crack the safe's combo rather quickly each night) when he expertly threw the metal three-pronged hand. She shrieked as the weighted end swung around her, pinning her arms to her sides and throwing off her balance. As she tumbled to the ground, Link felt the momentary triumph before reality decided to reassert itself.

His prey looked up at him from the ground, terror clearly reflecting in her eyes, and Link prepared a certain mask he had made just for this moment. The Champion of Justice.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The trap snapped shut.


End file.
